WASHINGTON - Annika Urban simply wanted to capture the sound of her own breathing during wheezing episodes, which always seemed to end before she could get to her doctor's office.
Nikhil Behari wanted to better protect data without adding cumbersome steps for end users.
Both ended up developing practical science-based solutions that earned them a trip to the nation's capital, where they presented their prototypes to top scientists and inventors. Both speak with the expertise, vocabulary and confidence of researchers who have developed breakthrough technologies with the potential to change how we use technology.
Not bad for teenagers.
Annika, of O'Hara, is 13. Nikhil, of Sewickley, is 14.
They are among 30 young scientists from across the country named finalists in the Broadcom MASTERS nationwide competition. MASTERS stands for Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering Rising Star.
Nikhil won the second-place award in the technology category. Annika took second place in the engineering category. Each won an iPad and $2,500 toward a science, technology, engineering or math summer camp of their choosing.
In addition to showing off their research and inventions to competition judges and visitors to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History last week, the 30 young scientists participated in collaborative science-based team challenges and met President Barack Obama.
These aren't kids who pour baking soda and vinegar into a model volcano and call it a science fair project. Annika and Nikhil identified real needs and invented practical solutions that they tested, refined and tested again, tracking data points and calculating the statistical significance of changes.
Nikhil was inspired by news reports of data breaches at Target, Home Depot and other repositories of personal information.
His solution: a pressure-sensitive keyboard and a program he developed to detect changes in typing styles. The program can prevent access to a user who may type the correct password - but without the correct pressure or time lapse between keystrokes.
'I wanted to focus on security, but I didn't want to do it by adding a clunky second layer that would be hard to use, so I developed a secondary level of authentication based on the style you type with, not just the password, but whether you're typing the same way you type all the time,' Nikhil explained.
'Of course, it's not going to solve every problem, but it's a step in the right direction, making sure your data is secure wherever you are,' he said. The next step is adapting the technology for use on cell phones and tablets, and he is eager to start.
Nikhil, a ninth-grader at North Allegheny Intermediate High School, is interested in exploring the use of technology in protecting human life through bio-medicine, a career he is considering alongside computer science and engineering.
'My dad is a doctor and seeing the things he does inspires me. I see the connection with how technology can impact the lives of humans,' Nikhil said.
Annika began her project out of personal necessity. She wanted to find a way to capture her own wheezing sounds so she could email the recording to a physician.
She ended up with a diagnosis of exercise-induced asthma - and an invention that could change telemedicine and help patients be diagnosed faster.
Annika's 'stethophone' is a stethoscope that connects to a phone or tablet to make recordings of heartbeats and breath sounds that can be sent to a doctor by email or text. Its development took a lot of trial and error, said Annika, who attends Dorseyville Middle School in the Fox Chapel Area School District.
The biggest challenge was finding a microphone that would record low enough frequencies to capture heartbeats. A guitar amplifier did the trick but also added $50 to the cost of the device. Now Annika is working to develop her own amplifier and hopes to create an app that will guide users through stethoscope placement.
Annika taught computer programming this summer to elementary school children at Cooper Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel and plans to teach robotics there this summer.
Broadcom MASTERS is a program of Society for Science & the Public sponsored by Broadcom Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the semiconductor manufacturer Broadcom Corp.
Washington Bureau Chief Tracie Mauriello: tmauriello@post-gazette.com, 703-996-9292 or on Twitter@pgPoliTweets. First Published November 3, 2014 12:04 AM
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